Jm. Bakker et al., LONG-TERM GENDER-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION DURING PREGNANCY ONIMMUNE AND ENDOCRINE RESPONSIVENESS IN RAT OFFSPRING, Journal of neuroimmunology, 82(1), 1998, pp. 56-63
Exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) or other stimuli around bi
rth may affect neuroendocrine and immune responsiveness in the offspri
ng. Experiments were conducted to investigate whether maternal manipul
ation with saline or with GCs alters the corticosterone (CORT) respons
e to a mild stressor in the offspring, and whether maternal manipulati
on results in long-term altered in vivo humoral and cellular immune re
sponsiveness in the offspring. Pregnant rats were given dexamethasone(
DEX, 1.2 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) or saline (SAL) at day 17 and 19 of
gestation. A third group of pregnant rats was left undisturbed (UNTR-g
roup). After maternal DEX treatment no altered CORT response was seen
to a novel environment at 20 days of age. as compared to both the SAL-
treated group and the UNTR-group. However, saline administration to pr
egnant rah caused an increased CORT response in female offspring, but
not malt: offspring, as compared to the UNTR-group (P less than or equ
al to 0.01). Furthermore, no effects of maternal DEX exposure were see
n on IgG2a production after immunization with a conjugated pneumococca
l polysaccharide (PPS-14-CRM197) at 6 weeks of age. However, maternal
SAL treatment enhanced anti-PPS-14 IgG2a antibody levels in female off
spring, but not ill male offspring, as compared to the UNTR-group (P l
ess than or equal to 0.05). Cellular immune responses were measured by
an oxazolone-induced contact hypersensitivity response (CHS-response)
, at 8 weeks of age. Maternal SAL treatment increased the CHS response
in adult male rats, but not in female rats;, as compared to both the
UNTR-group and the DEX-group (P less than or equal to 0.005). These da
ta suggest that manipulations during late pregnancy not only affect en
docrine responsiveness, but also influence immune responsiveness in th
e rat offspring. Furthermore, these effects may belong-term and gender
-specific. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.